Colts road to Super Bowl XLIV

QB Peyton Manning and the Colts opened their season with a hard-fought 14-12 home win over the Jaguars. A failed two-point conversion by Jacksonville with 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter kept Indianapolis in front for good.

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RB Ronnie Brown and the Dolphins ran for 239 yards and possessed the ball for over 45 of the 60 minutes and still lost to the Colts. QB Peyton Manning hit WR Pierre Garcon for a 48-yard touchdown pass with three minutes left to put the Colts ahead 27-23. A badly run two-minute drive by the Dolphins allowed them to stay in front that Monday night.

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WR Anquan Boldin’s third-quarter touchdown was way too little and way too late for the Cardinals. The Colts cruised to a 31-10 victory against the defending NFC champions, led by QB Peyton Manning’s four touchdowns.

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WR Reggie Wayne’s second-quarter touchdown put Indianapolis up 14-0 as the Colts rolled to a 34-17 win over the Seahawks and a 4-0 start.

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It was two teams pointed in different directions at the start of the season. QB Peyton Manning and the 5-0 Colts bashed the 0-5 Titans 31-9 in Tennessee.

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After dominating the Rams 42-6, the Colts found things much more difficult against another NFC West opponent. Indianapolis did not take its first lead until the first play of the fourth quarter when WR Reggie Wayne scored on a 22-yard pass from QB Peyton Manning. That gave them an 18-14 lead, which would be the final.

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After falling down 13-0, the Texans stunned the Colts with 17 straight points and took the lead on a 1-yard score from RB Steve Slaton on the first play of the fourth quarter. But three drives later, the Colts came back to take the lead on a touchdown by RB Joseph Addai. Texans K Kris Brown missed a 42-yard field goal as time expired that would have sent the game into overtime.

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It was another classic Patriots-Colts matchup. New England jumped out to a 24-7 lead and after that was shaved to 34-28 late in the fourth quarter; Patriots coach Bill Belichick did not trust his defense to close out the game. On a fourth-and-2 from their own 28 with 2:08 to go, Belichick elected to go for it. QB Tom Brady completed a throw to RB Kevin Faulk, but he came up short of the first down. Four plays later, QB Peyton Manning hit WR Reggie Wayne for a 1-yard touchdown to give the Colts a dramatic 35-34 victory.

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Another week, another close call for the undefeated Colts. With the score 14-12, Indianapolis LB Gary Brackett intercepted Baltimore QB Joe Flacco with seven minutes left in the fourth quarter with the Ravens inside the Colts’ 20-yard-line. Indianapolis would hold on to the win and improve to 10-0.

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This time the Texans had them for sure. Houston scored the first 17 points and seemed destined to improve their 1-14 record against Indianapolis. But the Colts scored 35 of the next 38 points to earn a 35-27 win.

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This time the Titans were red-hot, too. QB Vince Young and Tennessee had won five straight since an 0-6 start, but the Colts jumped up 21-3 and held on for a 27-17 victory.

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TE Dallas Clark scored three touchdowns and the Colts buried the Broncos early by taking a 21-0 lead. Denver rallied, but Clark’s third score of the day iced the 28-16 victory for the Colts. The win was the Colts’ 22nd straight in the regular season, which is an NFL record.

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It was a back-and-forth Thursday night shootout between the Jaguars and Colts. But, as usual, the Colts got the last word. WR Reggie Wayne scored on a 65-yard bomb from Peyton Manning to give Indianapolis a 35-31 victory.

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We all know this picture by now. QB Peyton Manning talks with head coach Jim Caldwell after he was pulled, along with most of the starters, from the game against the Jets with a 15-10 lead. The Colts, 14-0 going in, gave up the final 19 points as Gang Green ended their dream of an undefeated season with a 29-15 victory.

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The Colts starters lasted one quarter in snowy Buffalo, where the Bills cruised to a 30-7 win against Indianapolis’ backups.

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The Colts defense shut down RB Ray Rice and the Ravens ground game, holding them to 87 yards. The game was even 3-3 when the Colts scored touchdowns on their final two drives of the first half. Four turnovers doomed the Ravens further and they fell 20-3 after pummeling the Patriots 33-14 in the wild-card round.

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QB Peyton Manning holds the Lamar Hunt Trophy given to the AFC Champions after his Colts rallied from a 17-6 deficit to top the Jets 30-17.